Surely Mayo won’t push Lee Keegan back on Michael Quinlivan?

At the outset of the championship, I thought Mayo the team most likely to stop the Dublin machine retaining their All-Ireland crown. I never envisaged Tipperary standing in their way this late in that mission.

I didn’t see Mayo going down the qualifier route either, but that diversion hasn’t done them any harm. Much like Tipperary, they have gained serious momentum en route and the manner of their victory over Tyrone in the quarter-final sent a signal of intent to the remaining contenders.

It was by no means pretty but the way they adapted to and coped with Tyrone’s style of play must have left Stephen Rochford and his team hugely satisfied. And is a credit to their tactical planning.